How To Be A High-Performing Person.

“If you’re not continually reinventing yourself, your company, or your brand, it’s only a matter of time before you become obsolete, irrelevant, and end up in the bargain bin.”

This is my own mantra that I provide for my clients. If your not looking towards the future on a regular basis, the present will arrive faster than you think and you’ll be behind your competition. If you want to be a high-performer, here are some suggestions I deliver during my keynotes:

1. Refresh your brand every 2-3 years. Can you tweak your logo? Maybe change a color or font? Keep it FRESH.
2. Update your website every 2-3 years. Does it work/look good on mobile devices? How old does it look? Look at your competition. It has to be clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. Don’t fill it up with shit.
3. Change your business card yearly. Today, your card is your brochure. It should not only deliver contact info — it should sell you and your business. Use quality card stock, use color, images, etc. Why yearly? Something always changes with the info/logo/title/location — only print small runs so you don't feel bad chucking out 1000 cards. Check out Moo.com.
4. Make your voicemail message SELL. If it’s you with a tired voice, you’re probably losing business. Hire a professional to help you craft and voice your new voicemail message and outgoing on-hold systems. You could even take a look at using something like this ringless voicemail drop if you want to help promote your business more.
5. Change your signs frequently. If you have a physical location or a fleet, ensure all signage is clean, new and visible. Old signs that are dirty/faded will LOSE business for you. Have signs made so they can modify messages frequently to attract interest. Keep it FRESH, CLEAN, and SHARP.
6. Upgrade your email signature (at the bottom of your emails). Most people don’t have one or if they do, it doesn’t sell their business. Make it look professional, give them additional info, point them back to your site, and make sure it works on most email systems.
7. Get a .com domain name. If your email address has aol, yahoo, gmail or another provider, it immediately telegraphs to me that you are not running a ‘real’ business AND you don’t know what you’re doing. Get one today.
8. Clean up your digital act. If your voice mailbox is full or you never return emails, you have a problem. Set aside time to regularly clear out your voicemail and develop a system to help with email overload.
9. Get comfortable with technology. I run into so many people in their 50/60’s who act like little children when it comes to tech. Listen — it’s here to stay and if you catch yourself not embracing it — you look old, antiquated, and lazy. It’s not an irritant, it a part of our lives.
10. Hang out with people who AREN’T like you. We get lazy and commune/collaborate with our own age groups and social status. Get out and hang with millennials, seniors, and most of all, play tennis with tennis players who can kick your ass. You WILL play better tennis.

If you need help with any of these items, call me anytime - 203-500-2421. I can recommend highly competent people to help you. Even me.

5 Mistakes You Make With Business Cards.

They bring me business and success everyday. That's why they are ALWAYS in my left pocket. But most people either don't have them (shame on you) or if they do — have terrible ones. Here are some mistakes people make with business cards:

1. You forget them.

This is the biggest mistake — your card is your brochure, your image, your information in a prospective client's hands — and you now blew it because you forgot your cards. In addition, you now feel uncomfortable because you might or might not get theirs, which is gold in any business or position. Always carry them with you . . . Everywhere. Keep them in your car, your desk, your briefcase.

2. They look awful.

When I hand out my card, I usually get the exclamation, "What a great card!" or "Who did this for you, it's incredible!". Does this happen to you? If not, you need to have your cards made by professionals. If you aren't creative, you need to hire a creative ASAP to design a logo and card for you. And then you need a qualified printer that will print a 'knock-it-out-of-the-park' card. Try 4by6.com or moo.com.

3. They don't have the RIGHT information.

The most important item is your image — the look of your card. What image are you trying to present to your clients? I am an executive and business coach — no flowers or crazy colors on my card (see mine below). Information is also critical — not too much or too little — here's my advice: a. Name of company (logo) b. Name (first & last, no middle name or initial) c. Title d. Phone Number (make it a direct line and say Direct) e. Email f. Address g. Web Site

4. You don't hand or receive them the right way.

So many people use business cards as an afterthought. I immediately ask for them within the first few minutes of meeting someone (or I offer my card). Why? It immediately gives me an opportunity to give them a compliment, it allows me to learn more about them, and it reinforces their name in my head so I can remember it. I usually receive the card and hold it with both hands and make a point of pausing for a few seconds and taking the time to really read the card. It can tell you a lot about that person and give you speaking trajectories to ask more questions — "I see you have an office in Hong Kong, do you travel there often?" "I see that your company is a subsidiary of Pixar, what is it like to work with them?" Most people just take the card and shove it into their pocket. Did you know it's an insult in some countries to shove the card in your pocket and not take the time to read it?

5. You do nothing with them once they hit your pocket.

The biggest mistake! You need to reach out to that person either later that day or the next day and thank them via email (or phone) about your meeting. Just a quick note reinforcing the tenets of your meeting will go so far in your career because most people don't do this. They take the card and forget about you. In addition, you need to immediately get that person's information in your contact system. So you can put them on your eBlast list or just in your phone/address list in case they call back - you then have their name appearing on your cell phone.

What mistakes do you make with business cards? What new ideas or techniques do you use to get your business card noticed?